Overseas Aid: Nutrition

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what budget his Department has allocated to its Nutrition Task Team for 2009-10.

Ivan Lewis: The nutrition team for 2009-10 is being put in place now. We expect two full-time staff to start work shortly in London, supported by staff from country offices allocating a proportion of their time. We will ensure that the team has the resources it needs to develop a sound strategy. This will help provide the basis for making further resource allocation decisions.

Overseas Aid: Nutrition

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which countries his Department's Nutritional Task Team has worked with in 2009 to date.

Ivan Lewis: We will work with countries where the burden of malnutrition is most severe, and where the Department for International Development (DFID) has comparative advantage within a division of labour with other donors. Initial work is under way in India and Bangladesh where we have focal advisers in place and leading nutrition agendas.

Overseas Aid: Nutrition

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which contribution his Department's Nutritional Task Team is making to the achievement of Goal 1 of the Millennium Development Goals.

Ivan Lewis: Nutrition is a foundation for the attainment of all the Millennium Development Goals. We recognise that progress towards the MDG 1c indicator to halve the rates of under-nutrition in children under five years by 2015 remains severely off-track. Our work on nutrition is directly aimed to help focus the Department's efforts on MDG 1c.

Members: Allowances

Dai Davies: To ask the Leader of the House whether it is the Government's policy that hon. Members who are married to or in a civil partnership with a member of the House of Lords will be eligible for a second home allowance.

Chris Bryant: By tradition the two Houses of Parliament have made separate financial provisions for their Members. The Government believe that all MPs' and peers pay, allowances and pensions should be set, administered, monitored and audited by an independent Parliamentary Standards Authority.

Advertising: Internet

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make an assessment of the implications for the revenue of the British media market of Google's share of the online advertising market; and if he will make a statement.

Barbara Follett: The Government recognise the increasing importance of online advertising revenues to the UK's media markets. It represents the fastest growing advertising medium in the UK. While the impact of this growth is principally a matter for the market, the Government, through its Creative Economy Strategy, continues to encourage the development of a strong and competitive advertising sector. The strategy, published in 2008, sets out a range of initiatives, such as encouraging advertisers to recruit from a more diverse range of backgrounds and disciplines, that will help ensure the continued success of the UK's advertising industries as a whole.

Prisoners Release: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether any prisoners transferred from a prison in Northern Ireland to a prison in England and Wales have since been released under the end of custody licence scheme.

David Hanson: Prisoners transferred from Northern Ireland to serve their sentences in England and Wales may be released on ECL provided they meet the eligibility criteria.
	Between the start of the End of Custody Licence (ECL) scheme in June 2007 and the end of April 2009, there have been eight transfers of prisoners from a Northern Ireland prison to a prison in England and Wales. None of these eight has been released on ECL.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Probation: North Yorkshire

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders in North Yorkshire Probation Area were categorised as Tier 4 in each of the last five financial years.

David Hanson: The total number of offenders in North Yorkshire who were categorised as tier 4 as at 31 March in each of the last three years was as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2006 318 
			 2007 336 
			 2008 369 
		
	
	Information on tier was not recorded prior to 1 April 2005.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Probation: Wales

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders in the South Wales Probation Area were categorised as Tier 4 in each of the last five financial years.

David Hanson: The total number of offenders in South Wales who were categorised as tier 4 as at 31 March in each of the last three years was as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2006 1,139 
			 2007 1,152 
			 2008 1,142 
		
	
	Information on tier was not recorded prior to 1 April 2005.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Youth Justice: Costs

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the total cost of youth courts was in each of the last three years; and how many trials were carried out in youth courts in each such year;
	(2)  what the average cost to the public purse of a youth court trial was in each of the last three years.

Bridget Prentice: The HMCS accounting system reports court costs by court type; crown, magistrates, combined, and location. It is not currently possible to separately identify and disaggregate youth court related costs. As a result it is not possible to calculate average court costs.
	Youth court trials for the year ended 31 March were:
	
		
			   Youth court trials 
			 2008 23,375 
			 2009 19,078 
		
	
	No statistics relating to youth court trials for the year ended 31 March 2007 are available.

British Waterways Board: Finance

Charlotte Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to assist British Waterways to establish a business model to provide a sustainable future for the waterways; what options are under consideration for the future of the waterways; and how those options will be evaluated.

Huw Irranca-Davies: British Waterways have launched a national debate on their proposal to move towards third sector status over the longer term. My Department, the Treasury, and the Shareholder Executive are engaged with British Waterways in discussing what is the best model for supporting a sustainable future for the waterways. We will be interested to see the responses to the public debate on British Waterways' third sector suggestion.
	The Operational Efficiency Programme review, announced on 21 April 2009, concluded that a wholly owned subsidiary of British Waterways should be set up to manage its canal side non-operational property portfolio which is now being implemented. Government will monitor the impacts of the subsidiary and the progress of British Waterway's strategy before taking any decisions on any further change to the British Waterways business model.

Departmental Correspondence

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what procedure his Department follows for dealing with complaints received  (a) by e-mail,  (b) by post,  (c) by telephone and  (d) via his Department's website.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA has a Corporate Service Standard that complaints be dealt with within 15 working days of receipt.
	The Department's aim is for complaints received by whatever means, i.e.  (a) by e-mail,  (b) by post,  (c) by telephone and  (d) via the Department's website, be dealt with where possible at the point of receipt.
	Where this is not possible, the complaint is passed to the unit within the Department responsible for the area of work complained about to be dealt with there.
	If a complainant is not satisfied with the outcome, DEFRA complaints procedure provides the complainant with the option to escalate the complaint as follows:
	to the Department's impartial Service Standards Complaints Adjudicator for complaints about standard of service; or
	to the Secretary of State for DEFRA or to a DEFRA Minister via a Member of Parliament for complaints about DEFRA policy or legal issues.

Departmental Dismissal

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many members of staff in his Department and its agencies were dismissed  (a) for under-performance and  (b) in total in each of the last 10 years.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The table details the number of staff in DEFRA and its agencies that were dismissed  (a) for underperformance and  (b) in total in each of the last eight financial years. DEFRA was created in June 2001 therefore data is only available from this date. Included in the data are only DEFRA's Executive Agencies and not Non Departmental Public Bodies as sourcing this information would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold.
	DEFRA and its agencies improving performance policies and procedures are in line with the Civil Service Management Code. All staff have access to these policies and procedures via the DEFRA intranet.
	
		
			  Financial year  Dismissal for underperformance( 1)  Total number of dismissals 
			 2001-02 5 52 
			 2002-03 0 49 
			 2003-04 6 54 
			 2004-05 5 34 
			 2005-06 6 33 
			 2006-07 10 24 
			 2007-08 4 23 
			 2008-09 29 47 
			 (1) The data for dismissal for underperformance represents the minimum number. There may have been others however dismissal data was not recorded via category in some agencies until recently.

Fisheries: Quotas

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total allowable catch is of vessels from each EU member state in fishing zones partially or fully within the UK's 200 nautical mile limit; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The United Kingdom's 200 nautical mile fisheries limit includes part of the fishing zones classified by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) as areas IIa, IV, Vb1, Vb2, VIa, VIb and VIIa, d, e, f, g, h and j. A map of these zones can be found on the ICES website:
	www.ices.dk/aboutus/icesareas.asp
	Since fish stocks can straddle the territorial waters of several member and non-member states of the European Union, the Total Allowable Catches (TACs) for stocks which fall partially or wholly within these ICES zones are set at Community level by Ministers each December at the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council and, where necessary, by third country agreements with Norway, Iceland, Greenland and the Faeroe Islands.
	Details of TACs and Quotas for 2009 can be found in the following EU legislation, which is available on the European Commission's website:
	http://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/legislation/other/conservation_en.htm
	Council Regulation (EC) No 43/2009 of 16 January 2009 fixing for 2009 the fishing opportunities and associated conditions for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks, applicable in Community waters and, for Community vessels, in waters where catch limitations are required (Annex I); and
	Council Regulation (EC) No 1359/2008 of 28 November 2008 fixing for 2009 and 2010 the fishing opportunities for Community fishing vessels for certain deep-sea fish stocks (Annex, Part 2)

Floods: Property Development

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 15 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1057W, on floods: property development, which local planning authorities granted planning permission against an Environment Agency objection in each of the years for which information was provided in the Answer.

Huw Irranca-Davies: A document listing those English local planning authorities that granted planning permission against Environment Agency advice on flood risk in 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08 has been placed in the Library of the House.

Sewers: Private Sector

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of anticipated changes to charges to households from the transfer of private drains and sewers in England and Wales to the ownership of the statutory water and sewerage companies from 2011.

Huw Irranca-Davies: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State (Hilary Benn) announced on 15 December 2008 that privately owned sewers and lateral drains in England will be transferred to water and sewerage companies from 2011. The accompanying impact assessment indicated an average rise of £10 per year on all sewerage bills, varying from £4 to £12 across different companies in England and Wales. This equates to around 7.5 pence to 23 pence a week.
	Such increase must be balanced against the potential for significant bills for repair and maintenance which householders can currently face, often unexpectedly finding that they own a section of private drain or sewer beyond their property's curtilage.
	Transfer in Wales is a matter for the Welsh Assembly Government, which announced as part of its Strategic Policy Position Statement on Water on 31 March that it will pursue the development of regulations in 2011 to facilitate the transfer of private sewers.

Business: Regulation

Brian Binley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many regulations imposing costs on businesses were introduced in 2008.

Ian Pearson: The information on regulations is published on the Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) website:
	http://www.opsi.gov.uk/legislation
	however the overall number that affect business is not collated centrally.

Small Businesses

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent steps the Government has taken to fund small business growth.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 12 January 2009
	 On 14 January 2009 we launched the Real Help for Business measures to support businesses in the current economic climate, building upon the commitments we made in the pre-Budget report on 24 November 2008.
	The £1.3 billion Enterprise Finance Guarantee supports lending to viable businesses that would otherwise not be available. As of 13 May 2009, over £375 million of eligible applications from over 3,340 firms has been granted, being processed or assessed.
	With respect to the £75 million Capital for Enterprise equity scheme, the appointed fund managers have now made offers totalling around £6 million to four businesses and are continuing due diligence on the further proposals that have been put forward. The Working Capital Scheme though not available directly to businesses, enables participating banks to increase the amount of working capital they can make available to businesses with a turnover of up to £500 million.
	We are also working with UK banks and the European Investment Bank (EIB) to maintain existing lending and make more credit available to SMEs. With the EIB, Government have helped UK banks to negotiate credit lines of more than £1 billion to provide loans to small and medium businesses. In addition the UK is the first country in the world to have negotiated legally binding lending commitments with banks receiving state support. RBS and Lloyds have committed to £39 billion of additional lending over the next 12 months; at least £6 billion of this is to SMEs. Both agreements are already in effect.
	Small and medium-sized businesses can find information and support at:
	http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/realhelp

Asylum: Iraq

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Iraqi citizens settled in the UK in each year of the Gateway Programme.

Phil Woolas: The UK's refugee resettlement programme, the Gateway Protection Programme, has made provision for a total of 1,000 Iraqi nationals to be resettled to the UK between 1 April 2008 and end March 2010.
	In 2008, 236 Iraqi nationals were resettled to the UK through the Gateway Protection Programme. As of 18 May 2009, 212 Iraqi nationals have been resettled to the UK through the Gateway Protection Programme in 2009.

Europol

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what crimes Europol may investigate; and on what legal basis in each case.

Alan Campbell: Europol was established by a convention based on article K.3 of the treaty on European Union. It does not carry out criminal investigations in its own right but operates to improve the effectiveness and co-operation of the competent authorities in the member states in preventing and combating terrorism and other forms of serious crime. Specifically Europol's competence covers illegal money laundering activity; preventing and combating terrorism, drug trafficking and other serious forms of international crime where there are indications that an organised criminal structure is at work, and two or more member states are affected by the criminality in question in such a way as to require a common approach by the member states involved.

Female Genital Mutilation

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what account her Department takes of the risk of female genital mutilation in women's country of origin when assessing their asylum claims.

Phil Woolas: All asylum and human rights claims are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with the UK's obligations under the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The consideration of a claim includes where relevant, any fear of genital mutilation that may be raised by the applicant.
	When fear of genital mutilation forms part of the claim consideration is given to whether there is evidence that this practice is knowingly tolerated by the authorities in the country of origin, or whether they are unable to offer protection, and whether there is a reasonable possibility of the applicant avoiding the threat for example by moving elsewhere in the country.

Foreign Workers: Health Services

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign national  (a) doctors and  (b) nurses from each country of origin have been granted residency in the UK for each of the last three years.

Phil Woolas: A foreign national is deemed to have been granted residency when he or she has been granted Leave to Enter (LTE) the UK for more than six months. Prior entry clearance is mandatory for all persons seeking LTE for such a period. Before the phased introduction of the Points Based System in 2008, foreign national doctors and nurses who were qualified to practice in the UK were required to apply for entry clearance as work permit holders. Data held centrally about such entry clearance applications do not include the applicant's profession. We could therefore only provide the information requested by searching individual records, which would be at disproportionate cost.

Illegal Immigrants

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many illegal immigrants were detained at their point of entry to the UK in the last month for which figures are available; and how many of them admitted they were entering the country illegally.

Phil Woolas: In April 2009, 767 people were recorded at ports as having illegally entered the UK. In such cases, passengers are initially detained at the Point of Entry.
	The data provided are based on locally-collated management information, which may be subject to change and do not represent published National statistics.
	The UK Border Agency does not routinely record whether an illegal entrant admits they were attempting to enter the UK illegally.

Immigration

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average time taken by the UK Border Agency to process an application for indefinite leave to remain was in the latest period for which information is available.

Phil Woolas: The average time taken by the UK Border Agency to process an application for indefinite leave to remain for period 1 April-30 April 2009 was three months.
	Data relate to lead applicants only.
	The figures quoted are not provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.
	 Source:
	UKBA Case Information Database.

Independent Police Complaints Commission: Manpower

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the turnover rate of staff of each grade employed by the Independent Police Complaints Commission was in each year since its creation;
	(2)  how many employees of each  (a) sex and  (b) age (i) entered and (ii) left employment of the Independent Police Complaints Commission in each year since its creation.

Vernon Coaker: The Home Office does not hold the information requested as these are matters primarily for the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) in fulfilling its statutory functions under the Police Reform Act 2002, The IPCC will respond to the hon. Member direct.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 11 February 2009, with regard to Ms A Dar.

Jacqui Smith: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 20 April 2009.

Schengen Agreement

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in which aspects of the Schengen system the UK participates.

Vernon Coaker: The UK participates in the police and judicial co-operation aspects of the Schengen acquis in accordance with the European Union Council Decision of 29 May 2000 concerning the request of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to take part in some of the provisions of the Schengen acquis (2000/365/EC). The UK does not participate in the provisions of the Schengen acquis relating to visas and borders having taken the decision that we wished to maintain our own frontier controls.

Terrorism

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to paragraph 9.09 of the UK's Strategy for Countering International Terrorism, published in March 2009, what the cost of the key deliverables in the Prevent Delivery Plan  (a) has been in each year since 2003 and  (b) is expected to be in 2009-10.

Vernon Coaker: Prior to 2008-09 the Home Office did not collate financial data on the cost of key deliverables in the Prevent Delivery Plan.
	The cost of Prevent key deliverables during 2008-09 was estimated at £157.million. This is an estimate which was provided at the beginning of the financial year, and may not reflect actual spend. The delivery plan only contains the estimated cost of key deliverables and does not represent total spending on Prevent.
	The key deliverables for 2009-10 are still in development, with spend currently estimated at £81 million.

Natural Environment Research Council: Shipping

Anthony D Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many ships and boats have been  (a) owned,  (b) leased and  (c) hired by or on behalf of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) in each of the last three financial years; how many operational days each of those vessels has spent at sea at the NERC's expense; and how much the NERC spent on purchasing, hiring and leasing such vessels in each such year.

David Lammy: The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) owns, leases and hires a number of vessels. These vessels are used for a number of purposes, including, for example, taking samples from lakes, and monitoring/surveying coastal areas. Data for ships (defined as a vessel above 40 tonnes and 40 feet in length) is provided in the following table.
	Hire of smaller boats for activities such as lake sampling are arranged locally under NERC purchasing guidelines on best value for money but the information is not held centrally by NERC.
	
		
			Operational Days( 1)  Cost of  purchasing, hiring or leasing (£ 000) 
			  Ship name   2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 RRS James Cook(2) Owned (3)314 (3)557 (3)413 0 0 0 
			 RRS Discovery(2) Owned (3)— (3)— (3)— 0 0 0 
			 RRS James Clark Ross(4) Owned 294 336 267 0 0 0 
			 RRS Ernest Shackleton(4) Leased(5) 329 321 309 (6)3,322 (6)3,364 (6)3,356 
			 RV Prince Madog(7) Hired 78 95 54 n/a n/a n/a 
			 (1) Data from NERC's Ship Management Review, which reported to NERC Council in February 2009. A breakdown on days on Cook/Discovery was not recorded. (2) Operated by the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (NOCS). RRS James Cook came into service in September 2006. (3) Denotes brace (4) Operated by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). (5) Under a PFI arrangement. (6) Includes insurance costs. (7) The RV Prince Madog is a recognised NERC facility operated by VT Ocean Sciences and is available to the NERC community on a 'pay-as-you-go' basis. NERC has no record of the precise costs, which are negotiated between scientists and the RV Madog operator within limits defined within research grants. The basic charter day rate cost is likely to have been in the region of £5,000 per day during this period. 
		
	
	As well as owning, leasing and hiring a number of boats and ships, NERC also has barter arrangements with other international operators of ocean-going research ships, which allows for NERC to use its partners' research ships. These barter arrangements allow for the barter exchange of ship-time between partners without there being any transfer of money. In the calendar years 2006, 2007 and 2008, NERC used its barter arrangements to secure 118 days, four days, 72 days, respectively, of ship-time on its barter partners' research ships. More information on the European barter arrangements can be found at:
	http://www.noc.soton.ac.uk/ofeg/pages/ofeg/index.php

Egypt: Prisoners

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the detention by Egyptian authorities of an Hezbollah operative allegedly attempting to provide logistical and military assistance to Gaza-based militants.

Bill Rammell: In April 2009, the Egyptian authorities announced that they had arrested a group of people with alleged links to a Hezbollah cell. The cell is reported to have been made up of 49 people of various nationalities, including Egyptians, Lebanese and Palestinians. The Egyptian authorities have confirmed that none of the suspects are British nationals.
	The Egyptian authorities allege that the cell was established by Hezbollah with the aim of attacking targets inside Egypt, including Israeli tourists and ships passing through the Suez Canal. According to media reports, the suspects themselves and the Hezbollah leadership claim that the objective of the Egypt cell was to provide support and assistance to militants in Gaza.

EU-Israel Association Committee

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had with the European Commissioner for External Relations on the agenda for the EU-Israel Association Council meeting on 15 June 2009.

Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary met with European Commissioner for External Relations on 9 March 2009. A number of issues were discussed including the Middle East Peace Process. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials have also been in regular contact with European Commissioner's Cabinet regarding the agenda for the EU-Israel Association Council meeting on 15 June 2009.

Iran: Bahai Faith

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the government of Iran on the seven Ba'hai leaders who have been under arrest in Iran for the last 12 months.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 1 June 2009
	We have repeatedly expressed our concerns to the Iranian Government regarding the treatment of the seven Bahá'í leaders. The EU, with strong UK support, has called for their immediate release on several occasions.
	I issued a statement on 16 February 2009, backed by an EU statement on 17 February 2009, expressing our concern at the charges against them and calling for the Iranian Government to allow independent observation of the judicial proceedings. I then issued a further statement on 14 May 2009 to mark the one year anniversary of their arrest. In this statement I reiterated concerns for their well-being and again called for the Iranian Government to ensure that these individuals are protected and given a fair trial in accordance with international standards.
	The UK will continue to urge Iran to put an end to persecution of religious minorities and to respect the right to freedom of religion and belief as described in article 18 of the international covenant on civil and political rights, to which Iran is a state party.

Sri Lanka: Armed Conflict

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of the alleged use of heavy artillery by the government of Sri Lanka on civilians in Northern Sri Lanka between 8 and 11 May 2009.

Bill Rammell: We are aware of disturbing reports of the use of heavy weapons by both sides during the conflict and are seeking to verify the accuracy of these reports. As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary said at the UN on 11 May 2009, we are appalled at the recent reports of civilian casualties. Following the Foreign Secretary's discussions with US Secretary Clinton on 12 May 2009, they released a joint statement calling for the Government of Sri Lanka to abide by its commitment of 27 April 2009 to end major combat operations and the use of heavy weapons. We welcome the end to hostilities and urge the Sri Lankan Government to now focus on the immediate welfare of internally displaced persons and for the long term peace and stability of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka: Armed Conflict

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his EU and US counterparts on whether the recent actions of the Sri Lankan government constitute genocide.

Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary regularly discusses the situation in Sri Lanka with his US and EU counterparts. As he has made clear, most recently in his joint statement with US Secretary Clinton of 12 May 2009, we are profoundly concerned at the humanitarian crisis and are alarmed by the continued reports of high civilian causalities. We condemn the killing of civilians in the strongest possible terms. As I repeated in the House during the topical debate on Sri Lanka on 14 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1034, we would support an early investigation into all incidents that may have resulted in civilian casualties, to determine whether war crimes have been committed.

Sri Lanka: Armed Conflict

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Statement of 30 April 2009,  Official Report, columns 1048-50, on Sri Lanka, what steps he is taking to ensure that the UN Security Council addresses the conflict in Sri Lanka.

Bill Rammell: On 19 May 2009, the Sri Lankan President announced that military forces had retaken all the territory once held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and that they had captured or killed the senior leadership of that organisation. Our primary concern remains the immediate humanitarian crisis affecting the civilians displaced by the fighting and the long-term political and economic peace and stability of Sri Lanka. We continue to work with the UN, EU, the Sri Lankan Government and key international partners to try to alleviate the humanitarian situation and to press for progress on a political solution that is based on equality, consent and rule of law.
	Within the UN, we have been working to ensure the Security Council remained fully briefed on the situation in Sri Lanka. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed Sri Lanka with UN Security Council representatives on 11 May 2009, and the UK raised Sri Lanka at the UN Security Council on 13 May 2009. We fully supported the visits by senior UN staff to Sri Lanka, including John Holmes (UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs) and Vijay Nambiar, (UN Secretary-General's Chief of Staff) and, in the face of some opposition from others; we supported their subsequent briefings to the Security Council. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister discussed Sri Lanka with the Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on 19 May 2009. These actions at the UN have been important, not least in keeping the spotlight of international concern on Sri Lanka.
	We have urged the Government of Sri Lanka to use the opportunity of the visits by Mr. Nambiar and the UN Secretary-General himself, to recognise that the UN has a central role to play, both in the delivery of humanitarian aid and in encouraging the process of political reconciliation that must be an integral part of rebuilding Sri Lanka's civil society.

Departmental Assets

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when his Department last reviewed its assets and land and property holdings with a view to identifying and disposing of surpluses.

Jonathan R Shaw: DWP do not own any land or property. The Department has outsourced its estate through a PFI Contract known as PRIME, under which it pays a charge for serviced accommodation for each building covering the cost of the space occupied, the maintenance of the building, plant, fixtures and fittings, and of the facilities management services provided.
	The Department similarly owns no IT assets. Its IS/IT and telephony requirements were outsourced to EDS and BT in 2005.
	The Department's remaining assets are regularly reviewed but have little, if any, disposal value.

Departmental Dismissal

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many members of staff in his Department and its agencies were dismissed  (a) for under-performance and  (b) in total in each of the last 10 years.

Jonathan R Shaw: The number of staff dismissed  (a) for under-performance and  (b) in total in each of the last 10 years is not available in the format requested.
	The Department and its agencies do not have a category of under-performance as a measure of employee performance. However, there is a category of unsatisfactory performance.
	The information is held on the Department's personnel computer system which was introduced from November 2006. Information is not available from this system prior to April 2007.
	The number of staff dismissed for unsatisfactory performance and the number dismissed in total, for each year since April 2007 is outlined in the following table:
	
		
			  1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008 
			   Dismissals for unsatisfactory performance  Dismissals for reasons other than unsatisfactory performance  Total dismissals 
			 DWP and its agencies 17 1,167 1,184 
		
	
	
		
			  1 April 2008  to 31 March 200 9 
			  DWP and its agencies  Dismissals for unsatisfactory performance  Dismissals for reasons other than unsatisfactory performance  Total dismissals 
			 DWP total 18 1,190 1,208 
		
	
	The total number of staff dismissed in each year was in the region of one per cent. of the total staff employed in the Department. Of the total number of staff dismissed for reasons other than unsatisfactory performance around two-thirds were dismissed for unsatisfactory attendance.

NHS: Conditions of Employment

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions there have been between his Department and representatives of trades unions and NHS staff on the Transforming Community Services programme.

Phil Hope: There were two meetings nationally with the trades' union representatives of national health service staff about the Transforming Community Services: Enabling new patterns of provision guidance, which was published in January 2009 a copy of which has already been placed in the Library. These meetings were held on 18 November and 8 December 2008, and comments and contributions from those present influenced significantly the content of the final guidance. The union representatives were a sub-group of members of the Social Partnership Forum, and they discussed the potential implications for NHS staff. NHS clinical staff and trade union representatives are also members of the Board for the Transforming Community Services programme.
	The six transformational practice guides (written principally for clinical team leaders), which are due to be published in June 2009, have also been co-produced with NHS staff.

Palliative Care

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish a report on progress on implementation of the 2005 national service framework for long-term conditions.

Ann Keen: There are no plans to publish a report on implementation of the national service framework (NSF) for long-term conditions. The NSF was published in March 2005, and will be implemented over 10 years with flexibility for local health and social care communities to take account of local priorities and needs.
	The Department has provided service planners, commissioners and providers with guidance, expert advice and support to help them to deliver the NSF's quality requirements. However, in line with devolving responsibility to local organisations, we are moving to new phase with much greater emphasis on local health and social care communities and the third sector taking responsibility for driving forward service change and improvement. This also recognises that the NSF is not a stand alone priority but that it needs to be closely aligned and integrated into mainstream NHS and Social Services activity.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the armed services of each  (a) sex,  (b) age,  (c) regiment and  (d) service stationed in Afghanistan were (i) killed, (ii) seriously injured and (iii) otherwise injured in each year since 2001.

Bob Ainsworth: Since Operations began in Afghanistan in 2001, 159 UK Service personnel have died while on deployment, or as a result of injuries sustained in Afghanistan. The figures presented for fatalities are correct as at 19 May 2009. Of the 159 Service personnel who have died, information for four soldiers has not been publicly released and therefore their detailed information has been excluded from the following tables.
	Since Operations began in Afghanistan in 2001, one female member of UK Service personnel has died while on deployment, or as a result of injuries in Afghanistan.
	The following table provides a breakdown of fatalities by age-group and year:
	
		
			  Age group  All  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009( 1) 
			 All 159 0 3 0 1 1 39 42 51 22 
			 <20 9 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 3 0 
			 20-24 56 0 1 0 1 1 10 17 16 10 
			 25-29 50 0 0 0 0 0 16 10 16 8 
			 30-34 20 0 2 0 0 0 1 7 6 4 
			 35-39 9 0 0 0 0 0 4 2 3 0 
			 40+ 11 0 0 0 O 0 6 2 3 0 
			 Not released 4 0 0 0 d 0 0 0 4 0 
			 (1) As at 19 May 
		
	
	The following table provides a breakdown of fatalities by Service, Corps/Unit and year:
	
		
			  Service  Corps/unit  All  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009( 1) 
			 All All 159 0 3 0 1 1 39 42 51 22 
			 
			 Naval Service(2) All 32 0 0 0 0 0 5 6 16 5 
			  3 Command Brigade 29 0 0 0 0 0 3 5 16 5 
			  1 Assault Group 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 
			 
			 Army All 108 0 3 0 1 1 22 35 29 17 
			  Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 
			  Corps of Royal Engineers 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 
			  Corps of Royal Military Police 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 
			  Foot Guards 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 2 
			  Household Cavalry 5 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 2 0 
			  Intelligence Corps 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 
			  Mercian Regiment 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 0 0 
			  Parachute Regiment 15 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 10 0 
			  Rifles 12 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 8 
			  Royal Anglian Regiment 10 0 1 0 0 0 0 9 0 0 
			  Royal Armoured Corps 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			  Royal Army Veterinary Corps 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			  Royal Corps of Signals 5 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 1 0 
			  Royal Gurkha Regiment 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 1 
			  Royal Irish Regiment 4 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 
			  Royal Logistic Corps 6 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 
			  Royal Regiment of Artillery 10 0 0 0 0 0 3 5 1 1 
			  Royal Regiment of Scotland 6 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 3 1 
			  Royal Welsh 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			  Yorkshire Regiment 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 
			 
			 RAF All 15 0 0 0 0 0 12 1 2 0 
			  120 Squadron 12 0 0 0 0 0 12 0 0 0 
			  3 Squadron, RAF Regiment 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			  504 RAF Auxiliary Squadron 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			  51 Squadron 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			 
			 Info not released  4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 
			 (1) As at 19 May (2)( )Naval Service includes Royal Navy and Royal Marines 
		
	
	In the table above, the breakdown for Army Corps is presented for the current Army structure, following the merger of many regiments over the last few years. Detail of an individual's Corp is subject to change as further information becomes available.
	Since Operations began in Afghanistan in 2001, 198 UK Service personnel have been very seriously or seriously injured (VSI/SI) while on deployment in Afghanistan. The figures presented are sourced from the NOTICAS reporting system and include casualties reported up to 16 May 2009. Casualties within the cause category of 'natural causes' are excluded from the figures.
	Information on the breakdown of very seriously and seriously injured casualties by sex for the time period requested cannot be released without disclosing individual identities.
	The following table provides a breakdown of very seriously and seriously injured casualties by age-group and year:
	
		
			  Age-group  Total  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009( 1) 
			 Total 198 0 1 1 6 2 31 63 65 29 
			 <20 years 20 0 0 0 0 0 2 7 11 0 
			 20-24 83 0 1 0 2 1 10 27 26 16 
			 25-29 50 0 0 1 2 1 9 17 11 9 
			 30-34 23 0 0 0 0 0 5 8 9 1 
			 35-39 18 0 0 0 1 0 5 3 6 3 
			 40+ 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 2 0 
			 (1) As at 16 May 
		
	
	The figures provided above exclude natural causes.
	Information on the breakdown of casualties by Regiment, or other Service equivalent, for the time period requested cannot be released without disclosing individual identities.
	The following table 4 provides a breakdown of very seriously and seriously injured casualties by Service and year:
	
		
			  Service  Total  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009( 1) 
			 Total 198 0 1 1 6 2 31 63 65 29 
			 Naval Service 48 0 1 0 0 0 7 14 15 11 
			 Army 145 0 0 1 6 2 24 47 47 18 
			 RAF 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 
			 (1) As at 16 May 
		
	
	The Naval Service figures provided above includes Royal Navy and Royal Marines. All figures provided exclude natural causes.
	Since Operations began in Afghanistan in 2001, 602 UK Service personnel have been recorded on the NOTICAS casualty reporting system with a medical listing of Incapacitating Illness/Injury (III), Unlisted Condition (UL) or Minor Injury (MI) while on deployment in Iraq. The figures presented include casualties reported up to 16 May 2009. Casualties within the cause category of 'natural causes' are excluded from the figures.
	Since Operations began in Afghanistan in 2001, nine female members of UK Service personnel have been recorded on the NOTICAS casualty reporting system with a medical listing of Incapacitating Illness/Injury (III), Unlisted Condition (UL) or Minor Injury (MI) while on deployment in Afghanistan.
	A breakdown of casualties listed as III, UL and MI by age-group and year is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Age-group  Total  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009( 1) 
			 Total 602 0 3 0 1 6 67 213 207 105 
			 <20 years 76 0 0 0 0 0 6 26 25 19 
			 20-24 243 0 2 0 1 3 25 100 77 35 
			 25-29 158 0 1 0 0 2 20 49 59 27 
			 30-34 67 0 0 0 0 0 7 22 27 11 
			 35-39 35 0 0 0 0 0 6 8 14 7 
			 40+ 19 0 0 0 0 1 1 6 5 6 
			 Not available 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 
			 (1) As at 16 May 
		
	
	The figures provided above exclude natural causes.
	Information on the breakdown of casualties by Regiment, or other Service equivalent, for the time period requested cannot be released without disclosing individual identities.
	A breakdown of casualties listed as III, UL and MI by Service and year is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Service  Total  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009( 1) 
			 Total 602 0 3 0 1 6 67 213 207 105 
			 Naval service(2) 158 0 2 0 0 1 14 63 45 33 
			 Army 430 0 1 0 1 5 50 147 157 69 
			 RAF 14 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 5 3 
			 (1) As at 16 May (2) Naval Service includes Royal Navy and Royal Marines 
		
	
	The figures provided above exclude natural causes.

Bank Notes: Forgery

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions his Department has taken action in relation to counterfeit currency resembling the euro under counterfeit regulations.

Ian Pearson: HM Treasury does not have responsibility for taking action in relation to counterfeit currency resembling the euro. Instances of euro counterfeiting should be reported to the police.
	HM Treasury was responsible however, for negotiations on European Council Regulation 45/2009 of 18 December 2008. This extended measures for the protection of the Euro currency from counterfeiting to member states who have not adopted the currency.
	HM Treasury engaged with the Commission closely to ensure that this regulation would be both proportionate and effective. In particular, while appropriate financial and credit institutions will be required to screen for counterfeit euros, the regulations provide flexibility to them regarding the most efficient methods for doing so.
	The Council regulations provide for member states to make appropriate domestic provisions by the end of 2011, and HM Treasury will be taking this forward with relevant stakeholders in due course.

Capital Gains Tax

Iain Duncan Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations his Department has received on capital gains tax arrangements for spouses who leave the marital home and purchase alternative properties.

Stephen Timms: Treasury Ministers and officials receive representations from a wide variety of organisations as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such representations.

Repossession Orders

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department has taken to assist individuals in  (a) Southend-on-Sea,  (b) Essex and  (c) England and Wales facing repossession of their property in each month since January 2008; what representations he has received on this issue since January 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The Government introduced FSA regulation of mortgages in 2004. The FSA's regime provides important protections for borrowers. It requires lenders to treat their customers fairly, and to treat repossession as a last resort.
	FSA regulation is supported by the new mortgage pre-action protocol introduced in November 2008. This sets out clear guidance on what actions judges expect lenders to take before bringing a claim in the courts to help ensure that lenders have tried to discuss and agree other alternatives with the borrower.
	Through the new Lending Panel, announced in the 2008 pre-Budget report, the Government are working closely with lenders, consumer groups and regulators to monitor lending to businesses and households. The lenders on the Lending Panel have committed not to repossess where the owner-occupier is less than three months in arrears.
	The Government launched Homeowners Mortgage Support on 21 April. This new scheme, together with changes announced at Budget 2009 to Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) and the Government's Mortgage Rescue Scheme, will help homeowners who experience a temporary income shock, lose employment, or are otherwise vulnerable, to remain in their homes. The Government have also taken action to help ensure that every household struggling with debts has access to free and impartial debt advice.
	The Chancellor receives representations from a wide range of stakeholders on issues relating to repossessions.

Taxation: Sports

Andy Reed: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the merits of uprating the trading and rental income thresholds for corporation tax exemption for clubs registered as community amateur sports clubs in line with inflation;
	(2)  what the trading and rental income thresholds for corporation tax exemption are for community amateur sports clubs; and what they would be if they had been uprated in line with inflation in each year since 2004.

Stephen Timms: Income exemption thresholds for corporation tax for community amateur sports clubs (CASCs) are, along with all other income thresholds for tax, kept under review.
	CASCs are exempt from corporation tax on any trading income up to £30,000 and on income from property up to £20,000. Prior to April 2004, the limits were £15,000 and £10,000 respectively.
	The following tables shows what the thresholds would have been had they been increased in line with inflation.
	
		
			   Exemption for trading profits  
			   Threshold (£)  RPI (Percentage)  Inflation linked threshold (£) 
			 2004-05 30,000 — — 
			 2005-06 30,000 2.63 30,789 
			 2006-07 30,000 3.74 31,941 
			 2007-08 30,000 4.12 33,256 
			 2008-09 30,000 2.97 34,244 
		
	
	
		
			   Exemption for rental income  
			   Threshold (£)  RPI (Percentage)  Inflation linked threshold (£) 
			 2004-05 20,000 — — 
			 2005-06 20,000 2.63 20,526 
			 2006-07 20,000 3.74 21,294 
			 2007-08 20,000 4.12 22,171 
			 2008-09 20,000 2.97 22,829

Civil Servants

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether his Department has conducted research on levels of morale in the Civil Service in the last 12 months.

Tom Watson: The civil service is strongly committed to researching levels of staff engagement and satisfaction. All Departments undertake regular staff surveys and recent results are available on the civil service website:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/who/statistics/staff-surveys.aspx
	Copies will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Civil Servants: Codes of Practice

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will place in the Library a copy of the Directory of Civil Service Guidance.

Tom Watson: The "Directory of Civil Service Guidance" is already available in the Libraries of the House.

Departmental Mobile Phones

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many  (a) BlackBerry devices and  (b) mobile telephones have been lost by (i) Ministers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) civil servants in his Department in each year since 2005.

Kevin Brennan: Our records do not differentiate between mobile devices supplied to Ministers, special advisers and civil servants. The following departmentally provided equipment is recorded as follows:
	14 mobile phones have been reported lost since 2005 and three blackberry devices have been reported stolen since 2005.
	The following figures show an annual basis.
	
		
			   Mobile phones  BlackBerry devices 
			 2005 4 (1)— 
			 2006 4 0 
			 2007 3 0 
			 2008 2 3 
			 2009 1 0 
			 Total 14 3 
			 (1) Figures not available.

Ministerial Policy Advisers

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what requirements there are on special advisers to declare  (a) their financial interests and  (b) hospitality received.

Tom Watson: The requirements for civil servants, including special advisers, in relation to the declaration of financial interests and hospitality are set out in the civil service code and civil service management code, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.

Child Care: Qualifications

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of the childcare workforce had a  (a) degree level,  (b) level 3 and  (c) level 2 qualification in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: The Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey collects information on staff working with children and young people. The proportion of the early years and child care work force with degree level, level 3 and level 2 qualifications is as detailed in the following tables.
	
		
			  Staff qualifications held by all paid staff - childcare providers( 1) 
			  Percentage 
			   Full day care  Full day care in children's centres 
			   2007  2006  2005  2003  2007  2006 
			 Level 2 16 14 15 19 10 11 
			 Level 3 61 64 54 52 61 62 
			 Level 6 3 3 3 n/a 7 9 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   Sessional  After school clubs 
			   2007  2006  2005  2003  2007  2006  2003 
			 Level 2 18 18 18 16 21 22 18 
			 Level 3 52 51 48 39 43 43 32 
			 Level 6 3 3 3 n/a 4 4 n/a 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   Holiday clubs  Childminders 
			   2007  2006  2003  2007  2006 
			 Level 2 21 19 14 8 5 
			 Level 3 40 41 24 36 33 
			 Level 6 7 6 n/a 2 2 
			 (1) Due the difference in the way data were reported in 2003, it has not been possible to provide comparable data for certain levels of qualification. There have been changes to the way that the levels are defined since the previous survey in 2003. Current levels 4, 5 and 6 (as defined above) were previously all part of level 4. Current levels 7 and 8 were previously part of level 5.  Note: Base: All paid childcare staff 2007, 2006, 2005, 2003. All childminders 2007, 2006.

Child Minding: Manpower

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many registered childminders there were in each quarter in each of the last 10 years.

Beverley Hughes: The available information is shown in the tables.
	
		
			  Number( 1, 2 ) of registered child minders for children under eight years of age, position at each quarter from 2003-04 to 2007-08 
			   Financial year 
			  As at end:  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 June 70,000 72,700 70,900 71,600 68,300 
			 September 70,200 71,900 71,100 71,200 67,400 
			 December 72,000 71,000 71,500 71,500 65,800 
			 March 72,400 70,200 71,600 69,900 64,600 
			 (1) Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100.  (2) Data  Source: Ofsted. 
		
	
	New Registers, the Early Years Register and the General Childcare Register (including its Voluntary Register), were introduced under the Childcare Act 2006 as part of the Government's reforms to simplify early years regulation and inspection. From 1 September 2008, Ofsted started to record providers in line with these new legal requirements. As a result of the new registers, data from September 2008 are not directly comparable with previous data and the reporting periods for 2008-09 are out of step with previous years.
	
		
			  Number( 1, 2 ) of registered child minders for children under eight years of age, position at each quarter in 2008-09 
			  As at end:  Financial year 2008-09 
			 June 64,300 
			 August(3) 63,600 
			 December(4) 61,900 
			 March 60,900 
			 (1) Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100.  (2) Data Source: Ofsted.  (3) Latest position before new arrangements introduced in September 2008 therefore coverage is up to end August only.  (4) First position since new arrangements introduced in September 2008.

Children in Care: Per Capita Costs

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average weekly cost to the public purse of housing a looked-after child in an independent children's home was in the last 12 month period for which figures are available.

Beverley Hughes: The average weekly cost of accommodating a looked-after child in an independent children's home is not collected centrally by this Department. However, information obtained from the National Statistics shows the average weekly unit cost of a child in a children's home, (including independent homes) is £2,402.

Children: Protection

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families who has been appointed to the expert group established to assist Sir Roger Singleton in his role on the National Safeguarding Delivery Unit.

Beverley Hughes: The membership of the new Chief Adviser's Expert Group is set out on page 7 of "The protection of children in England: action plan—The Government's response to Lord Laming", published on 6 May.

Children: Protection

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he plans to publish new targets for safeguarding children.

Beverley Hughes: As stated on page 31, recommendation 4, of "The protection of children in England: action plan—The Government's response to Lord Laming", published on 6 May, subject to the passage of legislation, new statutory targets for safeguarding children will be developed with stakeholders by autumn 2009 and published and implemented as soon as possible thereafter, in consultation with local partners.

Children: Protection

Eric Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he is taking to reduce the time taken by the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service in Barnsley to deal with access cases.

Beverley Hughes: The role of the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) in contact cases is to advise the court on what is in child's/children's best interest and safety; but it is for the court to decide on the most appropriate contact, looking at the individual circumstances of case.
	Where courts in Barnsley have requested a CAFCASS report in respect of contact applications they have been completed, on average, within 17 weeks in 2008-09. CAFCASS have agreed with the courts in Barnsley to reduce the time taken to deal with these requests to 12 weeks from 1 April 2009.

Children: Social Services

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether the National Safeguarding Delivery Unit will have powers to  (a) examine local authority documentation and  (b) intervene in children's services departments in local authorities.

Beverley Hughes: The remit of the National Safeguarding Delivery Unit is explained on pages 7-11 of 'The protection of children in England: action plan—The Government's response to Lord Laming', published on 6 May. This sets out that the unit will work with Ministers, local authorities, other national partners and with Government regional offices to challenge and support every Children's Trust in the country to deliver the best possible arrangements for keeping children safe. Regional Government office staff will work as part of the unit and, as is the case now, will need to examine some local authority documentation in their role of providing support and challenge. The power to intervene in the case of children's services departments in local authorities remains unchanged and rests with the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families.

National Safeguarding Delivery Unit

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  when he expects the National Safeguarding Delivery Unit to be fully operational;
	(2)  who will be responsible for appointing staff to the National Safeguarding Delivery Unit;
	(3)  which experts from  (a) central Government,  (b) local agencies and  (c) the voluntary sector will be appointed to the National Safeguarding Delivery Unit; and how many regional representatives that unit will have;
	(4)  what the planned budget is of the National Safeguarding Delivery Unit; and from which departmental budgets the Unit will be funded.

Beverley Hughes: Pages 7-11 of "The protection of children in England: action plan—The Government's response to Lord Laming", published on 6 May, included an explanation of the steps to be taken to establish the National Safeguarding Delivery Unit (NSDU), and noted that it would be operational by 1 July. This makes clear that the unit will be hosted within the Department for Children, Schools and Families and will include expert staff from the Home Office, Ministry of Justice and Department of Health as well as local agencies and the voluntary sector. Regional Government office staff will also work as part of the unit.
	The precise number of staff, appointment arrangements and budget are in the process of being determined.
	The Department for Children, Schools and Families will lead overall on the unit's establishment, working closely with the Home Office, Ministry of Justice and Department of Health.

National Safeguarding Delivery Unit

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  when he expects the National Safeguarding Delivery Unit to make its first annual report to Parliament;
	(2)  when he expects the National Safeguarding Delivery Unit to have developed guidance on referral and assessment systems for children affected by  (a) domestic violence,  (b) adult mental health problems and  (c) drug and alcohol misuse;
	(3)  when he expects the National Safeguarding Delivery Unit to  (a) set and  (b) publish a timetable for the implementation of Lord Laming's recommendations on safeguarding children.

Beverley Hughes: "The protection of children in England: action plan—The Government's response to Lord Laming", published on 6 May, states that the National Safeguarding Delivery Unit (NSDU) will support Sir Roger Singleton, the chief adviser on the safety of children, in making his annual report to Parliament on progress on safeguarding and that his first annual report will be made in April 2010. Page 37 of the response sets out that the NSDU will publish its work programme by September 2009 and that the Government expect the production of guidance for the referral and assessment of children affected by domestic violence, adult mental health problems, and drugs and alcohol misuse to be identified as an early priority. The Government's action plan published on 6 May also includes a timetable for the implementation of all Lord Laming's recommendations.

Schools: Admissions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools in England have fewer than 30 pupils; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The requested information is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Schools with fewer than 30 pupils( 1) . As at January 2009 (provisional)—England 
			   All schools  Schools with fewer than 30 pupils 
			 Maintained nursery 437 5 
			 Maintained primary(2) 17,041 133 
			 State-funded secondary(2,3) 3,347 0 
			 Maintained special(4) 984 58 
			 Non-maintained special 72 12 
			 Pupil referral units 456 297 
			 Independent 2,348 479 
			 (1) Includes solely registered pupils and pupils with other providers (PRUs only). (2) Includes middle schools as deemed. (3) Includes CTCs and academies. (4) Includes general hospital schools.  Source: School Census

Schools: Buildings

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools in  (a) Leicester and  (b) England (i) received new school buildings, (ii) were substantially repaired and (iii) were housed in buildings considered unfit for purpose in each of the last five years; what estimate he has made of his Department's expenditure on repairs to school buildings in (A) England and (B) Leicester in each such year; and what estimate he has made of the average cost of providing a new (1) primary and (2) secondary school building in the last five years.

Jim Knight: Where repair expenditure on schools relates to the maintenance of existing assets it is financed out of revenue funding. Where work involves new buildings or existing buildings are enhanced, it is financed from capital funding. The Department make revenue and capital allocations to local authorities and schools and relies on them to commission work in accordance with their asset management plans.
	The Department carried out a survey of new and refurbished schools in July 2007, and the results, for England and Leicester, are shown in the following tables. The Department does not maintain records of buildings that are unfit for purpose.
	
		
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			  England 
			 New Additional 26 27 21 32 
			 Rebuilt Existing 101 144 175 161 
			 Refurbished > 80 per cent. 52 81 57 94 
			 Refurbished 50 per cent. to 80 per cent. 162 193 161 176 
			 Total 341 445 414 463 
			  
			  Leicester LA 
			 New Additional — 1 — 1 
			 Rebuilt existing — — 1 2 
			 Refurbished > 80 per cent. — — — — 
			 Refurbished 50 per cent. to 80 per cent. 3 — 1 1 
			 Total 3 1 2 4 
		
	
	School capital allocations by the Department in respect of England and Leicester for each of the last five years are set out in the following table:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   2004-05  Outturn  2005-06  Outturn  2006-07  Outturn  2007-08  Estimated outturn  2008-09  Projection 
			 England 4,132 4,581 4,565 5,274 5,964 
			 Leicester 18.3 25.5 8.7 7.5 14.8 
		
	
	The England allocation figures are taken from table 8.3 of the 2008 departmental annual report.
	In addition, Leicester is in Wave 1 of the Building Schools for the Future programme, with a secondary school programme estimated to cost some £256 million.
	The Department does not maintain an estimate of the average cost of providing a new primary school or secondary school, year by year. This is due to the fact that costs vary greatly according to size and type of school, local cost factors, site constraints and other abnormal factors, and whether VAT is payable.
	Regarding the strategic Building Schools for the Future programme, the average cost of a new secondary school across the programme has been approximately £26 million.

Social Services: Children

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many serious case reviews there have been regarding the death of a child in Essex in each of the last 10 years.

Beverley Hughes: I refer my hon. Member to the reply given on 23 February 2009,  Official Report, column 442W. This indicates that, of all notifications received between 1 April 2007 and 31 March 2008 of serious child care incidents, one Serious Case Review had been initiated where a child died and abuse or neglect was known or suspected to be a factor in Essex.
	Data prior to 1 April 2007 is not available in this form. However, the Department commissions an academic biennial analysis of all Serious Case Reviews to help ensure lessons are clearly identified and disseminated.

Community-based Enterprises

Tom Levitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions she has had with Ministerial colleagues on the role of community-based enterprises in the future jobs fund.

Eric Martlew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues on the role of community-based enterprises in the future jobs fund.

John Healey: Social enterprises can tackle worklessness by creating sustainable jobs for people who find it difficult to enter the labour market and increasing enterprise levels among women, under-represented groups and young people.
	On 13 May my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State chaired a seminar attended by the Prime Minister; the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions; the Minister for the Cabinet Office and myself. Also attending were leading social entrepreneurs and social enterprise practitioners.
	We challenged the community and social enterprise sector to take up the opportunities and the challenge that the Future Job Fund offers. We want to see social enterprises creating as many jobs as they can through the Future Jobs Fund; perhaps up to 10 per cent. of the 150,000 envisaged through the fund.
	On 12 May the Secretary of State attended a Social Enterprise summit at Coin Street Community Builders along with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions; the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform; and the Minister for the Cabinet Office.
	A summary of the discussion at the summit is available on the Cabinet Office website at:
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/media/210555/summit_report.pdf

Council Housing: Brighton and Hove

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households were in temporary accommodation in Brighton and Hove in each of the last three years.

Iain Wright: Information about English local authorities' actions under the homelessness legislation (part 7 of the Housing Act 1996) is collected quarterly at local authority level.
	Data collected includes the number of households accepted by local housing authorities as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and therefore owed a main homelessness duty (to secure that suitable accommodation is available). If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority must secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomes available.
	Information on the number of households housed in temporary accommodation is reported quarterly by local authorities as at the last day of each quarter. The figures include: those households which have been accepted as owed the main homelessness duty; those for which inquiries are pending; those being accommodated for a limited period because they have been found intentionally homeless and in priority need; those being accommodated pending possible referral to another authority, and those being accommodated pending the outcome of a local authority review or county court appeal.
	The number of households in temporary accommodation arranged by Brighton and Hove, as at the end of December for each of the last three years is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of households in temporary accommodation arranged by Brighton and Hove, as at 31 December 2006-08 
			   Number 
			 2006 622 
			 2007 487 
			 2008 388

Housing: Rural Areas

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of housing survey coverage in rural areas; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: In determining levels of housing provision, local planning authorities and regional planning bodies should take into account evidence of need and demand, set out in Strategic Housing Market Assessments, and other relevant market information.
	The framework set out within our Strategic Housing Market Assessments Practice Guidance provides advice on the use of surveys where they are feasible and appropriate. Our guidance specifies that in rural areas the costs of face-to-face interviews can be expensive and a postal survey may be a more viable option.
	Matthew Taylor's review "Living Working Countryside", published in July 2008 highlighted the problems of local authorities' information on housing need, particularly in rural areas. We are now seeking views on proposals to reward rural local authorities which are working with parish councils to:
	Provide housing needs surveys of parishes; and
	Using that information to identify sites for affordable housing to address the needs identified in the surveys.
	The proposal is contained in the consultation paper "Housing and planning delivery grant (HPDG): Consultation on allocation mechanism for Year 2 and Year 3" published on 12 May.

Housing: Rural Areas

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households in rural areas were living in temporary accommodation at the latest date for which information is available.

Iain Wright: Information about English local authorities' actions under the homelessness legislation (part 7 of the Housing Act 1996) is collected quarterly at local authority level.
	Data collected includes the number of households accepted by local housing authorities as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and therefore owed a main homelessness duty (to secure that suitable accommodation is available). If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority must secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomes available.
	Information on the number of households housed in temporary accommodation is reported quarterly by local authorities as at the last day of each quarter. The figures include: those households which have been accepted as owed the main homelessness duty; those for which inquiries are pending; those being accommodated for a limited period because they have been found intentionally homeless and in priority need; those being accommodated pending possible referral to another authority, and those being accommodated pending the outcome of a local authority review or county court appeal.
	Of the total 67,480 households in temporary accommodation on the 31 December 2008, 3,840 of these households were housed by local authorities defined as predominantly rural (with at least half of their population living in rural areas).

Housing: Standards

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) local authority and  (b) registered social landlord properties in each region do not meet the Decent Homes standard because of over-crowding.

Iain Wright: The Decent Homes Standard itself does not specifically cover overcrowding. 'Crowding and space' is one of the 29 hazards within the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS). To be decent, a home must be free of all Category 1 hazards under the HHSRS and also meet the other three criteria (adequate thermal comfort, repair and modern facilities and services). Under the HHSRS, crowding would constitute a Category 1 hazard if the property and its occupancy constituted an unacceptable risk of serious harm. A home is considered to be non decent through a HHSRS failure.
	The 2006 English House Condition Survey, published in 2008, estimated through modelling that there might be fewer than 50,000 homes in this category for all tenures (private and social) across the country.

Local Development Frameworks

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether her Department plans to provide funding for local planning authorities to undertake changes to local development frameworks contained in the proposed Planning Policy Statement 4.

Iain Wright: As noted in the consultation impact assessment accompanying the new streamlined Planning Policy Statement 4 (PPS4), we do not envisage that our proposals will impose additional burdens or extra costs on local planning authorities. We believe that there is potential for real cost savings in the medium to long-term by presenting policies for economic development in an integrated way, particularly in terms of speedier and better quality plan-making, and decision taking in respect to planning applications.
	In particular, the revisions proposed to planning for town centres policy are amendments to the existing policy as set out in PPS6 "Planning for Town Centres", and are designed to improve the effectiveness of our 'town centres first' policy rather than making any fundamental change. Similarly, the approach to planning for economic development is intended to build upon the existing policy approach in PPG4 "Industrial, Commercial Development and Small Firms" by reinforcing messages and emphasising certain aspects of the approach.

Repossession Orders: North West

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many home repossessions initiated by  (a) building societies and  (b) banks there were in (i) Tameside, (ii) Stockport and (iii) Greater Manchester in each of the last five years.

Iain Wright: There are two independent sources of data on actual numbers of mortgage possessions: The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) and the Financial Services Authority (FSA). However both are only available for the United Kingdom as a whole.
	The Council of Mortgage Lenders latest press release on this is on their website at:
	http://www.cml.org.uk/cml/media/press/2262
	The CML data on repossessions are no longer freely available from their website. For detailed time series information members of the public can request to subscribe to CML to obtain access to a restricted website.
	The Financial Services Authority data are available on their website at
	http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pages/Doing/Regulated/Returns/IRR/statistics/
	The CML and FSA release slightly different figures. The CML data is for repossessions on first-charge mortgages only, including Buy-to-Let mortgages, as issued by their members. CML estimate that their lenders currently account for 98 per cent. of mortgage lending. The FSA data, as well as covering possessions on first-charge mortgages, cover possessions on second-charge loans by Regulated firms (many second charge lenders are not regulated) but do not cover possessions as comprehensively on Buy-to-Let mortgages, as some of these are from unregulated firms. The overall effect of the differences is that the FSA's statistics on possessions are slightly higher.

Travelling People: Caravan Sites

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 3 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1155W, on planning permission: caravan sites, 
	(1)  if she will place in the Library a copy of her Department's ruling made in respect of each of the 24 traveller appeals which she upheld;
	(2)  what the planning appeal reference number for each of the 318 traveller appeals upheld by the Planning Inspectorate was.

Iain Wright: Copies of 16 decision letters, with the decisions made by the Secretary of State on 22 out of 23 planning appeals indicated on the table, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) of 3 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1155W, have been placed in the Library. Three of the letters supplied relate to linked cases involving the Secretary of State decisions.
	One appeal decision made in April 2002 has not been recoverable in the time available. One appeal decision previously listed as having been decided by the Secretary of State has subsequently been discovered as having in fact been determined by the Planning Inspectorate.
	A table has also been placed in the Library containing a list of the planning appeal reference numbers together with local planning authority, date of decision, site address (where known) and description of development for appeals upheld by the Planning Inspectorate as indicated on the table pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) of 3 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1155W. As mentioned above an additional appeal, counted previously as being determined by the Secretary of State, has been added to the inspectorate's list which now totals 319.